Telecom Chamber eyes rebranding, broader digital economy role               

By Christabel DANSO ABEAM

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has announced plans to reposition and rebrand itself while marking its 15th anniversary.

These moves, according to the Chamber’s Chief Executive Officer Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, signal a strategic shift toward much more intense policy advocacy and collaboration in the digital economy.

During a speech delivery at the anniversary celebrations’ soft launch in Accra, Ms. Owusu-Ankomah indicated that the transformation also reflects the telecommunications sector’s rapid evolution from a voice-driven industry into a critical pillar of national development.

Established in 2010 and formally inaugurated during 2011, the Chamber initially served as a platform for mobile network operators. However, it has since expanded its membership to include tower companies, fibre infrastructure providers, managed service firms and multinational technology companies such as American Tower Corporation, Helios Towers, C-Squared, Spectrum Fibre, Vobiss Solutions, Huawei Technologies and Ericsson.

She further underscored the rise of internet penetration in the country – while noting that it has moved from below four percent at the time the Chamber was formed to nearly 70 percent today, with mobile penetration approaching 100 percent.

On organisation’s importance, she mentioned that it has become an essential national utility underpinning healthcare delivery, education, commerce, governance and financial inclusion.

“We have moved beyond an era when the focus was simply on expanding access and mobile penetration. Digital services now support nearly every aspect of national life,” she said.

She also called for urgent implementation of Ghana’s ‘dig once’ policy to protect fibre infrastructure and reduce recurring fibre cuts that continue to disrupt network operations nationwide.

Mrs. Owusu-Ankomah further highlighted the importance of long-term spectrum policy, warning that decisions taken today will significantly influence Ghana’s digital competitiveness, service quality, affordability and investment attractiveness in the years ahead.

As part of its anniversary activities, the Chamber plans to organise digital dialogue forums, coding caravans and knowledge-sharing sessions while also transforming its flagship Mobile for Development conference into a broader Digital for Development conference.

The celebrations will climax with a recognition dinner later this year to honour key stakeholders and welcome new entrants into Ghana’s growing digital ecosystem.

Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, in his speech delivery at the event also disclosed that Ghana is targetting 70 percent nationwide 5G coverage by the country’s 70th Independence anniversary in 2027.

He described this target as one of the continent’s most ambitious digital transformation agendas and revealed that government is pursuing a competitive spectrum allocation process to accelerate next-generation connectivity.

According to the minister, approximately 15 new and revised bills are being developed to strengthen communications regulation, cybersecurity, data governance and oversight of emerging technologies.

He cautioned against spectrum auctions focused primarily on short-term revenue generation, insisting that universal coverage and sustainable investment must remain the sector’s top priorities.

Future spectrum allocations, he added, will come with firm obligations for operators to expand services into rural and underserved communities.

The minister further revealed that the National Communications Authority is finalising a 10-year national spectrum management framework aligned with international best practices to improve service quality, pricing and digital inclusion.

Chairman of the Chamber and Chief Executive Officer-MTN Ghana, Stephen Blewett, also urged stronger collaboration among operators, regulators and government to position Ghana as a leading player in Africa’s artificial intelligence-driven digital economy.

According to him, the future of telecommunications extends beyond voice and data services – placing the industry at the centre of innovation, artificial intelligence and economic transformation.

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